Children’s SpecialAllowance

Pallister’s administration is using the COVID-19 pandemic as a distraction, while attempting to jam through incredibly harmful legislation. Bill 34 is an omnibus bill with numerous egregious aspects, including section 231, which would effectively allow the province to wash their hands clean of the $338 million of federal funds allocated for Indigenous children in care that the province has been siphoning away since 2005. People have been fasting at the Legislative Building grounds since Oct. 7 in solidarity with Indigenous children. A decision is expected to be reached on Nov. 5.

CRAFTED 2020

This year’s CRAFTED, an annual holiday sale featuring local contemporary art and crafts, has moved online. Hosted by the Manitoba Craft Council, Winnipeg Art Gallery, Northwest Territories Arts and Nunavut Arts and Crafts Association in collaboration with Royal Bison Art Fair, there will be work from over 50 artists and artisans. Head to the CRAFTED website on Friday, Nov. 6 at noon to check out the wares. The sale ends on Sunday, Nov. 8 at 5 p.m. 

Jazz Film Festival

Cinematheque and the Winnipeg Jazz Festival have partnered to create a jazz film festival featuring a series of award-winning documentaries about, you guessed it, jazz! On-demand screenings will be offered until Nov. 26. Check out Cinematheque’s website for titles and times.  

Restaurants struggling with Code Red

Winnipeg’s Code Red designation has mandated that all restaurants and bars be shut down (although faith-based gatherings and gyms remain open, without any scientific justification). Running a restaurant is already a touch-and-go business, but this latest development could put an end to many Winnipeg favourites. Those with the means to do so are encouraged to order takeout and delivery from local independent businesses, rather than chains, to help keep local options open.

Towards a Queer Prairie Aesthetic

Curator Blair Fornwald will give a First Friday lecture presented by MAWA on Nov. 6 at 12 p.m. Fornwald’s lecture will explore topics of regionalism, class and a queer prairie aesthetic. The lecture will be streamed on Facebook Live, and the link can be found on MAWA’s Facebook page.

Solidarity Winnipeg

Solidarity Winnipeg is hosting a Zoom conversation about how states operate in capitalist societies, and how this affects ecosocialists and other anti-capitalists. To register for the event, which is at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5, email [email protected].

Published in Volume 75, Number 08 of The Uniter (November 5, 2020)